My list of restaurants to visit dwindled dangerously low recently, so I took to the internet in search of unturned stones in the Knoxville area. That’s when I found info on a place I hadn’t heard of, Cherry Hill Café, in the general Homberg area. I met a friend there for lunch recently to check it out.

Upon entering, I was invited to sit at the table of my choice, so I claimed one of the few booths in the south dining area and waited for my friend. Upon his arrival, we began poring over the menu, which includes breakfast items like a frittata, egg and cheese sandwiches, biscuits and gravy, and waffles and chicken (although the café doesn’t open until 10 a.m.).

There are also daily specials, but that day’s Swiss steak plate with two sides and bread for $7.50 wasn’t grabbing me. I also glanced at but did not pull the trigger on greens options like the shrimp salad or the grilled chicken salad.

We decided that my friend would order something from the grill/sandwich selection, while I would consider something in an entrée. He passed on classic creations like a patty melt, hot ham and Swiss, club, Monte Cristo and an Angus burger in favor of the Philly steak sandwich ($6.99). It comes with fries.

I was also surprised to find a daily buffet available from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. for $8.50. That day’s items included chicken and dumplings, meatloaf, chicken noodle soup, chili, salad, green beans and mashed potatoes. The items vary daily.

Our server started us out with some waffle bread, which I think was essentially a variety of cornbread cooked in a waffle iron. It was pretty good, although admittedly, my hunger at that hour may have affected my judgment.

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The main courses were decent enough. The breaded chicken was bathed in a mushroom and onion sauce and definitely conveyed some German-cuisine vibes. The sides were fair, but I’d have to say I was partial to the country-style green beans over the taters.

One item on the menu at the Cherry Hill Cafe is the chicken schnitzel jaeger. Two of the available sides are mashed potatoes and green beans.(Photo: Grub Scout photo)

My friend’s steak sandwich looked good, and it tasted pretty good, but I took issue with the fact that it was a little skimpy on the beef as well as the advertised onions, peppers and mushrooms. I detected primarily cheese, lettuce and tomato. The side of frozen-to-fryer crinkle fries was phoned in.

I asked if desserts were available, and after disappearing into the kitchen for some time, our server informed me they could make a sopapilla with ice cream. (Sure, some Mexican to go with my schnitzel. …) We passed, but we did take advantage of a complimentary dessert, what our server initially described as a “cupcake.” Although delivered in a cupcake wrapper, these treats were, in fact, more akin to brownies than cupcakes.

I just got an odd vibe about Cherry Hill Café. The server was tentative and unsure, the menu was all over the place, the cupcakes were brownies, and what arrived on our plates, while not bad at all, just didn’t stand out from the crowd.

On the plus side, the prices are reasonable, and for folks in the Bearden neighborhood, this place might be worth checking out for a break from the lunch routine.